Counter for can-covers.



J. c. TALIAFERRO. D. P ROBIN SON & J. COYLE. COUNTER FOR CAN COVERS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. 1914.

Patented July 25, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. C. TALIAFERRO, D P. ROBINSON 64 J. COYLE.

COUNTER FOR CAN COVERS.

APPLICATION mm MAY 8. 1914.

1 1 92,705. Patented July 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. TALIAEERRO, DANIEL P. ROBINSON, AND JOHN COYLE, OF BALTIMORE,MARY- LAND, ASSIGNORS TO CONTINENTAL CAN COMPANY, INC., 0F SYRACUSE, NEWYORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COUNTER FOR CAN-COVERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 8, 1914. Serial No. 837,325.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, JOHN C. TALIAFERRO,DANIEL 1 'RomNsoN, ,and JOHN COYLE, citizens of the United States, allresiding at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Counters for Can-Covers, of which thefollowing is a description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in an apparatus forcounting and separating a predetermined number of articles from a stackand more particularly for counting and separating can covers or endswhich are stacked.

An object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the abovecharacter wherein the counting and separating device is op- 20. eratedby the articles in the stack when the stack is given a movement relativeto said counting and separating device, and which counting andseparating device has means for separating the counted articles from theremaining articles in the stack.

In the drawings, which show by way of illustration, one embodiment ofthe invention: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodyingthe invention. Fig. 2 is a view partly in plan and partly in sectionshowing a portion of the support and the counting device with saidcounting device in normal starting position. Fig. 3 is a plan viewshowing a portion of the support and the counting device with thecounting device having completed its operation and separating thecounted articles from the remainder of the stack. Fig. 4 is a sectionalview on the line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.Fig. 7 is a detail showing n perspective the separating finger and 1tscooperating slide. -Fig. 8 is a detail partly in section showing themanner of operating the counting disk by the cover stack.

The invention consists, generally, in providing a support on which astack of articles, such as can ends or covers may be placed and alongwhich the same may be slid. A bracket projects from this support andcarries a counting device which is operated by the articles as they aremoved along this support and this counting device is provided with aseparating finger which 18 projected from the outer periphery of thecounting device and enters between the counted articles and theremaining articles in the stack for separating the same.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the improved counting andseparating apparatus consists of a supporting frame 1 which is formed asherein shown of two spaced angle irons 2 and 3, which are mounted onsupporting legs 1 and The legs 5 are preferably longer than-the legs 4so that said supporting angle irons 2 and 3 are inclined downwardly.These angle irons are spaced so that a stack of can ends or covers 6 maybe placed thereon and when located on the angle irons the stack will notonly be supported but the covers or ends will be held nested together.In other words, the upper edges of the angle irons also engage the stackthus making four lines of support for the stack. At the lower end of theangle irons there is a rectangular frame 7 which serves as a rest orstop for the stack.

A bracket 8 is secured to the angle irons 2 and 3 and this bracketprojects laterally from the main frame, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and4:. The bracket at its outer end is bent upwardly, as at 9, and thencebackwardly, as at 10. A disk 11 is fixed to a shaft 12 which is mountedin said bracket 8, the bent back portion 10 of the bracket engaging theupperend of the shaft.

The disk 11 rests on a supporting washer bearing 13. A collar 11 issecured to the lowerend of the shaft 12. A spiral baud spring 15 isfixed to the collar 14 at one end and at the other end is attached to aa screw 16 which is threaded into the'bracket S.

The disk 11 is formed with a plurality of vertical grooves 17. The outeredge of a can cover or can end iscurled, as shown at 18 in Fig. 8. Thesevertical grooves 17 conform to the curled dge of the can end, as shownin this figure.

A series of can ends placed together, as clearly shown in Fig. 8, form,in a sense, a. rack and if the stack of can ends is placed in engagementwith the disk 11 so that a ver tical groove is engaged by the curlededge of the cover when the stackis moved along in a straight line thedisknvill be caused to rotate and one vertical grobve after another willbe engaged by the successive can end.

This disk, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 is formed with a. smoothportion 19, the

radius of which preferably is the same as the radius of the bottom ofthe grooves formed in the disk. Said disk is also provided with a.projecting lug 20. This lug is set into a recess in the disk and is heldtherein by a screw 21. The disk is also formed with a recess 22 and insaid recess is a separating finger or blade 23. There is a similarrecess 24 in the lower face of the disk and these recesses are connectedby a slot 25. The separating finger or blade 23 is provided with a block26 which extends into the slot 25. A sliding block 27 is located in thelower recess and this block is fastened to the separating finger by ascrew 28. The finger and the block close the slot 25. In this slot is aspring 29 which rests at one end against the end wall of the slot and atthe other end against block 26. This normally holds the fingers 23retractedwithin the recess. There is also a slot 30 which connects theupper and lower recess so that any dirt accumulating in the upper recessmay be dropped through the disk and escape.

Mounted on the return portion 10 of the bracket 8 is an overhanging arm31. arm and the bracket are recessed, as at 32. The sliding finger orblade 23 has an upwardly projecting lug 33 which moves into said recess32 when the disk is rotated through the action of the spring 15 and thelug serves as a stop to prevent further rota tion of the disk. WVhen thedisk is rotated in the opposite direction, this lug 33 engages theoverhanging arm 31 at 34. A further rotation of the disk will cause, thearm to force the separating finger or blade outwardly, projecting thesame beyond the-periphery of the disk and compressing the l/Vhen thelug33 is 'against the end of the rece: in the overhanging arm 31, theprojecting lug 20 extends over the" support for the stack of can ends orcovers. The stack is moved bodily along the support. The first coverinthe stack to engage the projecting lug 20 also engages the firstvertical groove in the disk. The second cover engages the second groove,the third cover the third groove, and so on. A continuous movement ofthe stack will cause the disk to rotate. There may be any number ofgrooves -As the stack moves along the support, the

disk will be turned, counting. 0H one hundred covers, after which theend of the separating finger or blade will be brought around so as toenter between two covers or ends, as shown in Fig. 3. At this time, thelug 33 on the finger or blade 23 will be brought into en- This 3gagement with the overhanging arm 31 and a further movement of the diskwill force the blade outwardly, causing the same to enter between thecounted covers and the remainder of the stack and separate said countedcovers from the remainder of the stack. The blade or finger 23 ispreferably tapered to one side so as to facilitate the separating of thecounted covers from the remaining stack. This separation is suflicientto allow the operator to insert the fin ger between the counted sectionand the remainder of the stack, so that the counted section may beremoved. If there are one hundred grooves in the disk then the countedsection will contain one hundred covers or ends.

It will be understood that any number of grooves desired within thelimits of the circumference of the disk maybe placed therein and thesame predetermined number of covers or ends will be counted andseparated from the remainder of the stack by each molic ement of thestack past said counting dis While we have described a stack as movablein order to actuate the disk, it will be understood that the disk may bemoved along the stack and the same result accomplished. As soon as thesection counted has been separated from the stack and removed by theoperator, the remainder of the stack is moved upward to allow the springto return the counting and separating disk to its normal position readyfor another counting operation.

It will be obvious that minor changes in the details of construction andarrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spiritof the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1 An apparatus for counting and separating a predetermined number ofarticles from a stack including in combination a support for the stack,a separating device, means actuated by the articles in the stack upon amovement of said stack relative to said separating device for operatingthe separating device, said separating device having means forseparating the counted section of the stack from the remaining articlesof the stack.

2. An apparatus for counting and indicating a-predetermined number ofcan ends in a stack, including in combination a support for the stack, acounting device adapted to be actuated by the can ends upon a movementof said counting device relative to the stack, and means carried by saidcounting device for indicating a predetermined number of counted ends.

3. An apparatus for counting and separating a predetermined number ofcan ends from a stack, including in combination a support along whichthe stack may be slid, a counting and separating disk located adjacentsaid support and adapted to be operated by the can ends in the stack,said disk having. means for separating the counted section of the stackfrom the remainder of the ends in the stack.

4. An apparatus for counting and separating a predetermined number ofcanends from a stack including in combination a support for the stack alongwhich the stack may he slid, counting and separating device locatedadjacent said support, and means actuated by the movement of the stackalon said support for operating the counting an separating device, saidcounting device having a separating finger mounted thereon, and

means for pro ecting said separating finger 1 between the countedsection of can ends and the remainder of the stack for separating thesame.

5. An apparatus for counting and separating a redetermined number of canends in a stac including in combination a support for the stack alongwhich the same may be slid, a counting device adjacent said support andhaving vertical grooves formed therein, each of which is adapted toengage a can end whereby Y the movement of the stack will cause saiddisk to rotate, a sepa-' rating finger mounted on andtraveling with saiddisk, and means for causing said separating finger to enter between thesection of counted ends and the remainder of the stack for separatingthe same.

6. In an apparatus for counting and separating a predetermined number ofcan ends in a stack, a supporting'frame along which the can enkls maybemoved, a bracket attached to said frame, a rotating disk pivoted onsaid frame, said disk having a plurality of vertical grooves formedtherein,

end, whereby the movement of the stack along the support will cause saiddisk to rotate, a spring for rotating said disk in the oppositedirection, a stop for limitin the movementof the disk, a separatingmounted on said disk and lying normally Within the periphery thereof,said separating finger having a tapered outer end disposed at the end ofthe last groove in the disk, a spring for normally holding said fingerretracted, a lug carried by said finger, and a fixed arm for engagingsaid lug and forcing said finger outwardly when the disk is rotated,whereby said finger is caused to enter between the last can end in thecounted section and the remainder of the can ends in the stack forseparating the same.

7. An apparatus for counting and indicating a predetermined number ofcan ends in a stack, including in combination, a support for the stack,a counting device, means engaging, successively the-can ends in thestack for operating the counting. device, said counting device havingmeans for indicating a predetermined number of counted ends.

8. An apparatus for counting and indieating a predetermined number ofcan ends in a stack including in combination, a support for the stack, acounting device, means engaging successively the can ends in the stackfor operatlng thecounting device, said counting device having means forseparating the counted section of the stack from the remainder of theends in the stack.

In testimony whereof, we afiix our signatures, in the presence of twowitnesses.

JOHN C. TALIAFERRO. DANIEL P. ROBINSON.

JOHN COYLE. Witnesses:

W. N. CRANWELL, D. CINNAMOND.

each of which is adapted to engage a canl

